The Royal Navy's newest nuclear-powered submarine, HMS Agamemnon, has arrived at its home port of Faslane in Scotland. The hunter-killer vessel will now undergo sea trials and operational preparation.
HMS Agamemnon is the sixth Astute-class submarine to join the Royal Navy's fleet. The 318-foot-long vessel is equipped with Tomahawk land-attack missiles and torpedoes. It joins other Astute-class submarines, including HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful, Audacious, and Anson. A seventh submarine in the class, HMS Achilles, is currently under construction.
The submarine departed its construction site at BAE Systems in Barrow last week. During its journey to Faslane, HMS Agamemnon conducted its first dive at sea in the Navy's Inner Hebrides exercise areas.
Rear Admiral Andy Perks described the arrival as a "significant milestone," highlighting the "dedication, skill and collaboration of thousands of people across our Defence Nuclear Enterprise." He added that HMS Agamemnon represents "one of the world's most capable attack submarines and deliver a formidable warfighting capability for the United Kingdom."
Commander John Gabb, the commanding officer of HMS Agamemnon, expressed his privilege in commanding the vessel at sea. "We will get to know Agamemnon well over the coming months, but this submarine is incredibly quiet, has a world-class Sonar and will be home to us all as we generate for operations," Gabb stated.
The arrival of HMS Agamemnon coincides with the 125th anniversary of the launch of Holland 1, the Royal Navy's first submarine. The vessel has a crew of approximately 100 submariners.